Find Yourself
by hotmess4evr330
Summary: ALL HUMAN.  Rose was once a fantastic horseback rider until an incident changed her whole life. Now with the help of friends she left behind and Dimitri Belikov she'll have to rediscover who she is. I'm bad at summaries. AU T-cause I'm paranaid.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is my first fanfiction ever and admittedly not my best work so please please please don't kill me. It's got a horrible title and the beginning's slow but duh you do get a helping of Rose's Russian god in the first chapter (I love Dimitri, I just couldn't resist). You'll see all of the characters from vampire academy in some way, shape, and form (yes that means Jesse, Tasha, Adrian, Ralf, Tatiana, etc.) Also I'm a total D&R lover (3 Adrian but not for Rose). Everyone's human and they're on a ranch in Montana, and yes, they're going to be a little out of character :( sorry but as humans there is only so much we can do but essentially, yes, Christian is a pyro, Rose is a badass that can fight, Dimitri can fight, and Adrian is...Adrian. That's probably TMI, but I like to know so...there you go.**

**Also I own nothing, it's all Richelle Mead's.**

Chapter 1: Red Creek Ranch

It was happening again.

My body suddenly became drenched in cold sweat as I looked around the large, decorated Grand Prix show jumping arena in England. The now-alien confidence welled up inside and flooded through me, chasing what remained of the butterflies in my stomach away. The massive jumps set up in front of me didn't scare me at all, because I trusted my horse, Serafina. We'd been together since her birth and trained together through nearly my entire childhood. I knew we could handle this. I was fearless.

At a quick canter, we sped towards the first jump, landing it perfectly as we did with the next three as well. Up ahead I could see the oxer coming. I moved into jumping position as she went to jump when I suddenly felt my stirrup leather snap. Clumsily, I slammed my weight forward landing heavily on her neck while the stirrup and stirrup leather flew back to hit her back leg. It happened quickly and simultaneously, not slowly like in the movies. As she landed, she fell forward, her fetlock moving into an unnatural angle with a sickening CRACK! while her whole body began to turn sideways. I screamed as her weight partially pinned me under, as she seemed to scream from pain.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I sat straight up in my bed, panting heavily and moving the strands of dark hair off of my face. "It's over now," I whispered to myself, "you're not there anymore." I said, as pressed the snooze button on my alarm clock.

It had been almost three months since that disaster at our competition. However, it had been a long and difficult three months. Serafina, with little hope of her fetlock ever healing, had been put down in the same week as the accident. Me? I'd walked away with a badly broken leg, fractured arm, dislocated shoulder, and several cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Three months since I'd ridden a horse. However, ever since I'd been pinned down underneath my struggle, terrified, injured horse, I couldn't bring myself to ride. The one time I'd tried, I'd nearly had a panic attack. I hadn't given, per se, because I never gave up, but I was taking a break. I still loved horses and milled around the barn observing lessons and doing chores, but actually getting on the back of a horse made my palms sweat and my stomach tense.

"Rose!" My father called from somewhere inside the house, and I sighed, looking around my bare room.

Today was the day. For two of those three months, I'd been hiding out with my father in Turkey instead of with my mother in the US. Turkey was…peaceful, a desert oasis far from my hectic home full of people who knew me. Away from my mother who couldn't be bothered with me. Away from the therapist who wanted to fix me. Away from the doctor who swore up and down I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Away from the people at my barn who looked at me with pity in their eyes. For those short two months, Turkey had been my home. I'd made a new family with the father I never knew, Ibrahim Mazur, and friends and employees. However, I needed to go home, because of everything I was not and did not do. I, Rosemarie Hathaway, was not a quitter and did not runaway.

"I'm up!" I called back before hopping out of bed and pulling on jeans, a tank top, and a sweatshirt before hurrying, barefoot, out of the room while hastily tying up my long dark hair. "Hey Baba, what's for breakfast?" I asked as I got into the kitchen, skipping over a 'good morning' and going straight for the coffee.

Abe barked out a laugh, his eyes on me as I moved around the kitchen. "Well good morning to you too, Rosemarie."

"What's for breakfast old man?" I questioned irritably, the hunger beginning to wear down my already limited patience.

"No time for breakfast if you want to make your flight." Abe replied with amusement while taking a bite out of his bagel right in front of me.

I narrowed my eyes at him angrily before moving quickly and commandeering the half of the bagel with an impish smile. Abe rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. I glanced at the clock and coughed. "Shit!" I said while Abe just chuckled again adjusting his colorful scarf. "Is it really that late?" I asked while Abe shrugged.

"Clearly you didn't hear the part of the alarm that went off nearly a half an hour ago that woke the rest of the house." Abe commented.

I just shrugged while tugging on a pair of Converse onto my feet. "Whatever, I was up late packing. And why didn't you wake me up?" I snapped at him.

"I don't have a death wish." He answered simply, getting to his feet. Placing his hand on the small of my back, Abe lead me outside to the car where his 'business partner', Pavel, sat behind the wheel waiting patiently. "You don't have to go, kiz." Abe said to me softly. I could see in his eyes that he truly wanted me to stay.

We'd had a rocky start to our relationship to say the least. Abe Mazur was a mobster in command of a secretive business that loved secrets, and I was a broken seventeen year old girl who'd just watched her world break down around her. I didn't like secrets and he didn't like attitude. Not to mention, I worked hard to keep from liking him since I felt he'd abandoned me by never making an effort to be a part of my life. However, miraculously, our similar snarky attitudes and plucky stick-to-it attitude had seemed to bring us together even though I'd made an effort not to get an effort and he had no idea how to relate to a broken teenage girl. I knew I'd miss him, and our pointless arguments, and the way that he seemed to know me so well since we were too alike for our own good.

Sighing, I looked him the eyes and responded to the offer to stay. "Yes, I do. It's time to stop running and face the music."

Abe gave me a teasing smirk. "You call working at a stable in rural Montana 'facing the music'?" He questioned.

I shrugged. "One step at a time, old man. We both know that I'm not ready to go plunging head first into the cutthroat competitive equestrian scene yet." I replied with a small smile. "I have to do this. I owe it to myself." I said.

"You'll be back for holidays?" Abe demanded.

Smiling, I nodded my head. "Of course, Baba,"

"Good," He nodded brusquely before pulling me into a tight hug. "Be a good girl, kiz."

"When am I not?" I joked while he rolled his eyes, his mind no doubt flashing over all the stunts I'd pulled while staying with him.

"Play nice with the other kids,"

"I always do," I replied sarcastically.

"And try to stay out anything illegal."

"I'll try." I answered honestly. "But I have your blood, so there's only so much we can do about that one." I teased him.

Abe rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead. "Keep up with your schoolwork. And make sure to call and write."

"Write?" I smirked. "What is this the 1800s? No one writes letters anymore, that's so archaic." I replied sarcastically.

"Text. Email. Skype. You know what I meant." Abe said.

"Anything else?" I questioned.

Abe shook his head and pulled me in for another hug. "Good luck, kiz."

"Thanks, Baba." I said.

~O~O~O~

It seemed like years later that my eyes took in the sights of Montana. I'd spent a lot of time here, growing up. Shuffled between a boarding school in the area and my mother's home in New York where she worked as a bodyguard for some senator named Szlesky. Whatever, I'd only met him once or twice but he seemed like a real douche, so I'd never made an effort to get a long with him. My mother wasn't much better. Janine Hathaway was about 5'2" with red hair, green eyes, and more muscle than a professional bodybuilder. She had a ridiculous Scottish obtained from her childhood in Glasgow with her eccentric parents. My mother was determined, strong, and never backed down. She was well-respected and well-known with two black belts and a kickass reputation, and I absolutely despised the woman. My best friend, Lissa, often said that 'despise' was too strong a word, but the fact remained the same: I didn't like her.

The dislike had stemmed from neglect that differed wildly from my father's abandonment, and her love of her career. Her career as a bodyguard took precedence in her life, and it had always bothered me that she'd put her job in front of her child. I didn't think it was unreasonable to want my mother to sometimes just stop being a bodyguard and spend a little time with me. By the time I'd reached age ten, I'd stopped wishing for her approval, preferring to just do whatever I wanted to. My therapist had often told me that my mother's neglect might have been what motivated my tumultuous past.

The only time my mother had ever paid any attention to me was when I got in trouble. That had often been once a week at least by the time I hit middle school. By the time I hit high school my therapist, Deirdre, had commented that my antics had become almost 'self-destructive'. I drank a lot, partied a lot, and dated more guys than I could really remember. My work ethic seemed almost nonexistent, and I constantly got kicked out of class for 'disruptive behavior' or in other words, my mouth. The only thing in my life that I'd ever cared about had been sports. I'd played soccer, basketball, softball, football, and volleyball until ninth grade. Throughout my whole life, my mother had pushed me into doing track and karate, both of which I enjoyed. However, the only sport that had brought me any kind of joy had been horseback riding which I'd started around second grade after my mother had sent me to a summer camp for the whole summer that offered horseback riding. Horseback riding had been what helped me get my life back together.

I'd started horseback riding at a small stable near my boarding school named Red Creek Ranch. Yep, the same ranch that I'd be going back to for the rest of the year to work. Some filthy rich politician named Tatiana and her family owned a whole bunch of ranches, Red Creek included, but Red Creek was run by Ellen Kirova who personally found me just as annoying as almost every adult did. Sighing, I snapped back to the present as the people around me got to their feet, grabbing their bags from the overhead compartments and making a beeline for the exit. I waited in my seat, knowing that if I tried to leave right now someone would push me to my breaking point. It was better if I just waited in my seat while rocking out to 3oh!3.

When the plane seemed almost empty save for elderly couples and the flight crew, I grabbed my duffle bag and hurried off of the plane and through the small airport. "Baggage claim. Baggage claim." I muttered to myself looking for any signs that I could find when I noticed a tall, gorgeous man with long brown hair tied back and a floor-length duster holding a sign with my name on it in messy scrawl. "What the hell?" I muttered walking over to him. "Who are you?" I asked the man, not bothering with introductions.

"Dimitri Belikov," he replied in a voice laced with a slight Russian accent. "I'm guessing you're Rosemarie Hathaway?"

"No," I began sarcastically. "I'm a random stranger who decided to come ask your name. "What do you think?" I snapped while he just shook his head. "And my name's Rose." I snapped while he just raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

Dimitri turned and began walking while I sighed before hurrying to follow him through the airport. "Alberta sent me to pick you up." He replied before stopping so suddenly I almost ran into him. I looked around and noticed that we stood next to a luggage belt (is that what those things at the airport are called). I jolted at the name of my boss for the next few months of employment at the ranch and old friend/instructor. To say I'd missed the woman who'd been a surrogate mother to me while I'd tried at Red Creek would have been an understatement. She'd been all tough love, but at the same time, she'd never been shy about letting me know that she cared and she'd be there when and if I needed to talk.

"Why?" I asked as I scanned the passing bags for my suitcases. "I was just going to rent a truck."

"For the whole year?" Dimitri questioned.

I resisted the urge to snap at him again. Who the hell did this guy think he was? "I hadn't really though about it that far." I replied honestly.

Dimitri looked at me expressionlessly. "You probably should have thought about that." Dimitri remarked. The comment was neither snide nor biting but it still grated.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" I snapped at Dimitri who just shrugged. I gave him an exasperated look before I saw my bags pass by in my peripheral vision. "Shit," I said, reaching for the two bags just before two people got in my way. I rolled my eyes and moved around them to grab my bags only to see that Dimitri had already gotten them. "Thanks," I said softly while Dimitri just nodded before gesturing for me to follow him, keeping both of my suitcases as we walked out the doors to a beat-up pickup truck. We threw my bags into the truck bed before climbing into the truck and heading out.

My eyes focused immediately on the gorgeous Montana scenery that I'd missed while in both New York and Turkey. In the distance, I could see the Rocky Mountains that looked much closer than I knew they were in actuality. Forests, rivers, the gorgeous green landscapes held a peace and serenity that I had missed. Personally, I'd always been a mountains girl. Sure, beaches were great but the only good part was the ocean, which you couldn't get without the obnoxious people, rambunctious kids, and icky sand.

"Do you _have_ to play this shit?" I questioned Dimitri disbelievingly as the country music playing over the radio finally made me reach my breaking point.

Dimitri quirked an eyebrow—I'd always wished I could do that—and looked at me sideways. "You don't like country music?"

"You do?" I inquired. "I may have lived here for a while, but I never really got into country music, it sucks."

Amusement flashed in Dimitri's eyes, and he looked like he was fighting the urge to smile at my words before he flipped the channel. When Doves Cry by Prince blared through the speakers, and I dropped my head into my hands with a groan. "Is this better?" Dimitri asked lightly, clearly knowing that I wouldn't like it.

"No," I replied.

Dimitri shrugged. "Driver controls the radio."

"Says who?" I asked outraged.

"The driver." Dimitri retorted teasingly while I just rolled my eyes. "Pick. It's this or the country music."

I thought about this, weighing the options of each music choice before sighing. "Just keep this shit on." I sighed before glancing at the smirking Russian. "I've never met a six foot Russian who wants to be a cowboy before." I said feigning excitement.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, "I don't want to be a cowboy."

"Really? You listen to country music, wear a duster, and work on a dude ranch in Montana."

"I wouldn't call it a dude ranch." Dimitri informed me.

"All you're missing is the hat." I continued as he turned onto the drive to Red Creek. "It's okay Comrade, we all have secret desires." I teased him as my eyes drank in the ranch that had once been my home. As the truck came to a stop, I grinned, hopped out of the truck, and took in everything. The barn, bunkhouses, and main house with the mountains behind, the huge fields full of everything from horses to cows with even a few buffalo here and there, and the corrals and arenas. I took a deep breath, taking it all in. The only thing going through my mind was, 'And now I've come full circle.'

**So what do you think? Do I suck? Please review. I just want to know if I should continue. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's me again, and I'm pretty happy with this chapter...again it's still moving pretty slow and it's not my best work but at least you get a taste of our favorite redhead Mason, our teddy bear, Eddie, and Lissa! Whoo. I am keeping some of the lines from VA in the stories because some of them freakin rock. I'm just saying.**

**VA still does not belong to me :( It's all Richelle Mead's.**

**Peace. Love. And milkshakes (because I really really want one right now).**

Chapter 2: Old Friends

"Rosie? Doesn't someone look sexy?" I heard a voice call and swiveled to see two welcome faces heading my way. Mason Ashford, no doubt the voice I'd just heard, still had the same gorgeous red hair (the same shade of Lindsey Lohan's before she's gone batshit crazy) and outrageous personality he had the last time I'd seen him, not to mention the same sidekick. Eddie Castile had been his best friend since we took naptime together. He'd always been like a brother to me. They both looked like they'd just pulled a hard day's work, their deep red ranch tees drenched in sweat.

"Ashford? Edison? Are those really my boys?" I teased them with a grin on my face. "And I always look sexy, Ashford, don't you forget it."

Mason smiled. "How do you know _I _said it? It could have been Eddie for all you know." Eddie met my eyes before we both started laughing hysterically. Mason frowned, shaking his head at the two of us and holding up his hands. "Alright, alright, I get it. Whatever Hathaway, did you call Lissa yet and tell her that you landed?" Mason asked me while I smacked my palm to my forehead.

"Shit! I totally forgot. Why? Has she already started calling yet?" I questioned, curious to know the answer.

Vasilisa Dragomir had been my best friend longer the Eddie had been Mason's. We'd been paired up together to write our names in Kindergarten, and I'd expressed my opinion quite clearly to my teacher about how I felt trying to spell out my full name. We'd been best friends ever since. I loved her like a sister, but she did have a tendency to get a little…obsessive. Once her boyfriend Aaron had driven from Montana to his home in Washington State to visit family swearing that he'd call when he made it. However, when he hadn't called her like she'd promised, Lissa had left him ten voice mails, twelve texts, and three emails demanding to know if he was safe and alive, each get snippier than the last. Aaron had called her the very next day and admitted that the only reason he hadn't called before was because he'd passed out as soon as he'd reached home. Yeah, but in Lissa's defense, she had only become like that since her whole family had died in a car accident while she'd spent Spring Break in New York with me. When they hadn't called as promised, she hadn't worried, only to be awakened the next morning with a call from the police saying her whole family had died in a car crash the previous night. Thus the paranoia.

Eddie and Mason shared a look of amusement before Eddie spoke. "You'd better call her preferably before she calls us eight hundred times demanding to know if you're alive and well." He said to me while I grinned.

"Rose," I heard a voice behind me say, and I turned to face Dimitri who had all three bags in his arms. "You want me to show you where you're going to live for the next few months or would you like to socialize some more?" Dimitri asked while I paused, considering this. "Not really a question," Dimitri said as Eddie and Mason walked over, each taking a bag from him. "Come on." Dimitri said before taking off at a brisk walk.

Red Creek hadn't changed much, though I hadn't really expected it too. The ranch had always been huge and beautiful while functional at the same time. It offered riding lessons in both western and English styles. In addition, they had cross country courses and trails all over the place. The ranch sat on roughly four hundred acres with at least 50% designated for the animals. The other 50% held the massive barn and indoor arena, two bunkhouses, a main house/cafeteria, two corrals, one covered arena, and several outdoor arenas. The familiarity was comforting, and I already felt myself relaxing and sinking back into the lifestyle of the ranch.

We went into the girl's bunkhouse and then into one of the smaller room that had two beds. Mason, Eddie, and Dimitri dropped my stuff onto one of the beds, and I sat down, looking up at the three of them, grumbling about their height. They dwarfed me. I felt tiny next to them, which I was. Mason stood the shortest, though he was still at least six feet. I was a meager 5'4". A normal height for age group thank you very much. "So what now?" I asked while Eddie and Mason looked to Dimitri, clearly having no idea.

"Ms. Kirova and Alberta want to see you." Dimitri said to me, and I nodded, hopping to my feet.

"I'll see you two later?" I asked.

"Meet us in the barn after your meeting." Mason said to me.

"Later," I said, giving them a wave over my shoulder as I followed Dimitri out. We walked side-by-side in comfortable silence for a moment before I spoke up. "So Comrade, why does Kirova want to see me?"

Dimitri gave me a disbelieving look. "To talk about your _job_."

"That's it?" I asked before throwing my hands up in the air. "Damn, I thought it would be about something important. I know how to work a ranch." I said, shaking my head.

"You rode here didn't you?" Dimitri asked while I fought the urge to flinch.

"Yep," I said popping the 'p'.

Dimitri looked at me sideways. "You left." He pointed out.

I shrugged. "Freshmen year." I commented, shaking my head. "I left to go train up in New York. Competed a lot up there."

"But you don't still ride." It was an observation not a question.

Trying to keep up my nonchalant air, I shrugged. "I'm just not that into anymore." Technically not a lie, though not exactly the truth either.

We walked in through the main house, stopping in front of the door to the office. Dimitri paused outside of the door and looked at me inquiringly. "Why did you really stop riding?" He asked, clearly not buying my previous statement.

Shaking my head, I gave him a fierce look that had sent many people running away in fright. "No reason," I lied, "besides, it's not of your fucking business."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you cuss too much?" Dimitri asked, ignoring my words.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you ask a lot of question?" I asked before pushing past him and into the room.

Kirova looked exactly the same as I last remembered her, slim with gray hair tied in a bun that was far too tight and a hooked nose that reminded me of a bird. Her face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl and, despite the fact that she worked on a ranch, she always wore suits. Behind her, looking much more amicable and normal stood Alberta Petrov my former instructor and surrogate mother. She stood behind Kirova looking bored to tears in a pair of jeans, muddy boots, and Red Creek tee shirt. Her short brown hair streaked with gray had been pulled back into a low ponytail and she still looked like she could take on anything thrown her way.

"Miss Hathaway," Kirova said, "did you ever hear of knocking?"

I shrugged and sat down on a chair in front of her desk, swinging my feet up onto her desk, while smiling. "Heard of it. However, I don't believe in it. After all, if the door's not locked clearly whatever you're doing isn't important enough that privacy is a necessity or your just stupid in which case, you deserve what you get."

Kirova narrowed her eyes at me while tapping her fingers on her desk. "Now I remember why I was so reluctant to allow you to work here. Insubordination will not be tolerated."

"Insubordination?" I said sarcastically. "I did not sign up to be in the army."

"Miss Hathaway, you are out of line!" Kirova snapped.

"Why? What did I say that's so out of line? It's not like I told you that you can shove all of your crazy ass, impromptu rules up your ass, though I _was _thinking it." I said cheerfully while Kirova's face turned red in anger.

Alberta rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated already before cutting in. "Rose," Alberta said, and I immediately turned my attention to her. "What Ms. Kirova wanted to tell you was that your job here is strictly probationary at the moment." Alberta informed me while I kept silent thinking this over. "Which means you'll work here, and in three months we'll review your work and decide whether or not to make you an official part of the staff."

"After some of your stunts, you're lucky that we didn't just reject you straight off." Kirova said to me. "You're reckless, irresponsible, and have no boundaries. However, a lot of people here vouched for you so we are allowing you here on a probationary basis. Don't get into trouble or you're out of here. Is that clear?"

"As crystal." I responded. "Is there a rule book?" I asked sarcastically.

Kirova, obviously not recognizing the sarcasm, shook her head. "Not an official one, but Dimitri will be mentoring you on the way we do things here for at least the period of your probation. Understand?"

I sighed, glancing at Dimitri who gave a single, almost imperceptible nod. "Fine, whatever," I said to Kirova, turning to look back at her. "Can I go now?" I asked. She glared at me before waving her hand in dismissal.

Not wanting to stay there any longer than necessary, I hopped out of the chair and hurried out of the room with both Alberta and Dimitri following behind me. I didn't stop until the three of us stood on the porch. Letting the fresh Montana air flood into my lungs, I finally turned to them, waiting to see what they had to say. Alberta smiled warmly at me, and I smiled back, just as happy to see her after so long. "It's good to have you back, Rose." She said to me. "I'll see you both at dinner." She nodded to the two of us before sprinting away towards the barn.

Bringing my gaze back to Dimitri, I tried raising one eyebrow but failed making Dimitri's eyes sparkle in amusement. Why could everyone do that but me? So not fair. "Dinner is at six every night. Breakfast is officially at six in the morning but most people just grab a little breakfast throughout the morning so they can sleep longer. Lunch is at twelve. Our day starts at seven Monday through Friday and at eight on Sundays. We end after dinner. On weekdays you and everyone else still in school had classes from four in the afternoon until dinner, and you guys aren't allowed to instruct, but you can assist." I nodded my head trying to process the wealth of information that he was throwing at me rapidly. "Since you're on probation, you don't get a paycheck, understand?" Dimitri asked while I shrugged. I had enough money to live on for a little while, besides I hadn't come to work here for the money.

"Do we all still have to go to Stone Court Stables in the spring for that huge competition?" I asked, hoping he'd say no. The tournament was stressful for everyone. Every ranch owned by Tatiana packed up their stuff and traveled to Pennsylvania to ride at her personal stables in a weeklong tournament. No one was spared the stress except for maybe the people who rode and worked at Stone Court Stables. Everyone else seemed constantly on edge, just inches away from snapping. I'd competed in eighth grade and swore never to compete in it again. The competition was intense with people who either tried to psych out their opponents or just sabotaged them. Four riders from Red Creek had had breakdowns and refused to ride. Several horses got stressed to the point where you couldn't ride them because they were so freaked out, and eight staff members quit. Not to mention Tatiana was a bitch, and she and a group of other horse-loving politicians and businessmen judged. This wouldn't bother me if it weren't for the fact that all of their children and family members competed. Guess who won practically every year?

Dimitri looked at my grimacing face and laughed. "Yeah, we do. And it's still just as stressful."

"I have little doubt." I commented. A loud, high-pitched scream of excitement that I recognized came from the barn, and I grinned, turning back to Dimitri. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked while he nodded looking amused. Turning, I took off at a run towards the barn. I burst in to see a group of about fifteen or twenty people I knew. My eyes scanned over them until I noticed a flash of golden hurtling towards me. I braced myself just as a body hurled itself into my arms. "Hey Lissa, miss me?" I asked sarcastically.

"Of course!" Lissa said, beaming. "You're my best friend, and it's been so boring without you." She informed me adamantly. "I missed you so much."

"We Skype each other everyday." I replied with a grin.

Lissa rolled her eyes, "Not the same, Rose." She said to me. Lissa was tall and thin, like a runway model, though she didn't look nearly as unhealthy as one. She had golden blonde hair and jade green eyes just like her father had had. She was also the sweetest person I'd ever met. "Anyway, we planned a little welcome back party!" Lissa told me excitedly and I turned back to face the assembled crowd.

Meredith, a childhood friend, and Shane both wore the Red Creek staff shirts, looking the same as they had last time I'd seen them. Apart from them stood some of the people who rode here like Lissa's cousin, Natalie, who looked sweet and innocent but had little to no people skills or riding skills. Camille Conta and her rich girl crew were a part of the mix too still looking like they thought they were everything and a bag of chips. Aaron, Lissa's now ex-boyfriend, stood off to the side socializing with Camille and some of her friends with what looked like an eleven year old pissed of doll girl on his arm. She had blonde ringlets, porcelain skill, and a childlike face that made me think she couldn't be older than eleven. However, Aaron had never struck me as a pedophile, so chances were she was older than that. The look this girl gave me was full of pure venom, but it couldn't hold a flame to the way that she looked at Lissa. Doll Girl looked at Lissa with the kind of hatred that you only see in movies or read about in books.

"Hey Rose. Long time, no see." A familiar voice said.

A coy smile spread over my face as I focused on the person standing beside me. "I've been around." I remarked with a smile as I looked at Jesse Zeklos.

Jesse Zeklos was one of the most gorgeous boys anyone in the female species ever laid eyes on. _Not as hot as Dimitri_, I noted, but quickly shrugged off that line of thought. Jesse Zeklos was the son of a wealthy politician and only socialized with two types of people: rich and notable or hot and sexy. With most guys, you made out with them just for the sake of doing it, with Jesse Zeklos, you did it hoping to get semi naked with him.

"Really? I didn't see you."

"You must've missed me then. Am I really so forgettable?" I teased Jesse who grinned.

"That's not exactly the word I'd use to describe you." Jesse replied.

I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head to the side. "What word would you use then?"

"Hot. Sexy. Gorgeous. Need I go on?" Jesse asked while I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You going to be around long this time?" Jesse inquired.

"Long enough." I replied, "Why? Do you need something?"

"Maybe we should get together sometime." Jesse said, getting closer to me.

"Maybe we should." I answered as he walked away with his sidekick, Ralf. I turned to see Lissa, Natalie, and Natalie's friends watching me with their mouth's open except for Lissa who just rolled her eyes at me. I smiled impishly.

"That was Jesse Zeklos." One of Natalie's friends said.

I felt a small smile spread over my face. "Yes, it was."

"I wish I looked like you." Her other friend sighed, and they all looked wistful. Lissa rolled her eyes and shook her head at them.

Natalie's friends were thin and tall with small chests and virtually no curves to speak of. I was short, muscular, and curvaceous with a tight ass and big boobs. On top of that, as a result of my pale Scottish mother and tanned Turkish father, I had been left with the complexion of a desert princess with dark eyes and thick dark hair that fell to my midback. However, I'd never been one to focus on my looks and while I'd dated a lot of guys, I never really made friends with people who focused on things like looks hence Lissa (who had money and looks but couldn't care less), Mason (who made jokes but had been my friend before I'd blossomed), and Eddie (who'd never shown any inclination towards my looks even when we'd dated in fifth grade). I shrugged and said a quick goodbye before hurrying off with Lissa, giggling, uncomfortable with the attention.

Lissa and I abandoned the party entirely, to run towards our favorite hangout spot on the ranch. We ran barefoot through the dark paddock, avoiding the horses until we reach Red Creek, which ran through the middle of the ranch. We sat on the bank playing catch up until it got too cold to stay out any longer. I fell into bed after saying a quick goodbye to Lissa and passed out before my head hit the pillow.

**Love it? Hate it? I know the end isn't exactly the best but *shrugs* I got really hungry and lost motivation. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so, I feel considerably better about this chapter. I hope everybody had a great day because I know I did. And sorry, I'm going to be much slower posting chapters tomorrow. It's my brother's birthday...whoo! Maybe, i doubt it'll be fun spending the day with a bunch of six and seven year olds when I'm a teenager. Whatever. And let me tell you, do not watch Criminal Minds while trying to write, its so easy to get distracted. Anyway, here's your chapter. I feel pretty good. Two in a day. And yes, for all you Christian lovers, you'll see him soon. And that unfortunately means Tasha too.**

**VA and all its characters still belong to Richelle Mead. So I guess that means my cat's name is copyrighted, huh?**

Chapter 3: Day One

_Wake up in the morning feelin' like P-Diddy_

I groaned as my alarm—the lyrics to Tik Tok—blasted in my ear.

_Grab my glasses, I'm out the door gonna hit this city._

"No, I'm not," I mumbled, forcing myself out of bed. It was times like this that I hated being a devoted runner with a love of breakfast foods.

_Before I leave brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack._

I shook my head while pulling on basketball shorts and a sports bra, twisting my hair up into a ponytail. You gotta love Ke$ha's songs. They're not exactly brilliant, but they had an addictive beat that you couldn't help but move to. Regardless, who would think about brushing their teeth with Jack Daniels? Better question: who would put it in a song?

'_Cause when I leave for the night I ain't comin' back._

Rolling my eyes, I pressed the snooze button on my phone, dropping it in my pocket as I grabbed my iPod touch out of my duffel bag, making my way out of the silent bunkhouse. I paused outside to breathe in the fresh air and to take in the beautiful sunrise that highlighted the mountains. The gorgeous sky colored the surrounding fields various shades of yellow, orange, pink, and red. It was still as breath taking at the first time I'd seen it. I jogged over to the main house, letting myself in through the unlocked front door, and walking briskly to the kitchen to grab some water and breakfast before I went for a run, which I swore I'd be getting back into now that I had returned to Montana.

The main house had three floors, the lowest of which was nearly always left open for the staff that lived on sight and the riders. It held the office, two bathrooms, a lounge, the cafeteria, and the kitchen. "Wonder if there are any donuts." I mused before scouring the cabinet for something to eat.

"Looking for something specific?" A surprisingly familiar, accented voice said from behind me.

I whirled around to see Dimitri leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "Donuts." I commented while Dimitri let a small smile play over his lips. Turning around, he reached into one of the cabinets and grabbed a box before tossing it to me. I caught it reflexively before looking down and grinning. Krispy Kreme donuts. Hopping up onto the counter, I opened the box and shoved a donut into my mouth while Dimitri watched with amusement.

"Why are you up so early?" Dimitri asked me while boiling water.

"I always get up this early." I responded.

"I didn't peg you as an early bird." He replied.

Scowling, I shook my head. "I didn't say I woke this early by choice." I said while he smiled and shook his head. "I like to run."

"You take morning runs?" Dimitri asked. "Want some hot chocolate?" He asked suddenly while I nodded.

"I used to."

"How long has it been since you last ran?" He asked while pouring two bags of cocoa into each cup. I shook my head but didn't say anything about it.

"About three months." I answered honestly.

"You're going to hurt when I get done with you?" Dimitri said, handing me a mug.

"What are you talking about?"

Dimitri smiled at me. "I'm going to help you train."

I crossed my arms over my chest defensively, narrowing my eyes at him. "And what makes you think I need to train?"

He shrugged. "You're clearly trying to get back in shape. I can help."

I looked at him doubtfully, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. "Right. What makes you think I want your help? Better yet, what makes you think you're even qualified to help me?" I asked him.

"I played a lot of sports growing up, so I know how train. And I used to teach martial arts about two or three years ago." Dimitri admitted.

"You do martial arts?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. I'm a black belt." He answered while I raised my eyebrows.

"No shit!" I blurted out in surprise while he looked at me with amusement. "So am I." I said to him, momentarily enjoying the surprise that played over his face.

"Are you going to let me help you?" Dimitri asked while I sighed. Honestly, I had no idea how to go about getting back into shape. It had been three months since I'd really done anything that remotely resembled working out. For some reason, I trusted Dimitri and had little doubt that he would try to help me to the best of his ability. He recognized my defeat and let a grin slip onto his face. "Ready to run?"

I hopped off of the counter and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, tossing him one, which he caught one-handed. "Show off," I muttered before nodding and following him outside. "How far are we running?"

"Two miles." Dimitri answered looking entertained.

Two miles? Oh shit.

~O~O~O~

I hated Dimitri Belikov.

Okay, so maybe I didn't _hate_ him, per se, but I certainly wasn't very happy with him. After two miles, we'd gotten back to the barn, and I'd dropped too the ground, sore, exhausted, and gasping for breath while Dimitri had watched me expressionlessly. Once my heart rate had slowed, and I was capable of breathing, he'd nodded his head and said: "Good, same time tomorrow morning," before walking off. Hardass. I'd worked with him one day, and I already knew that out of every coach I'd ever had for every sport I'd ever played, not one of them had ever pushed me the way that Dimitri did. He was right. I _did _hurt. All over.

"Hathaway," I heard a voice nearby hiss at me, and I paused from mucking the stall and turned to see Bitch Doll standing there glaring at me. "Where the hell is my tack?" She snapped at me.

I shrugged. "Wherever you put it." I replied before turning away return to mucking.

"Bitch," she muttered loudly. I grit my teeth and kept working, knowing that if I got into a fight with a rider I'd be in serious trouble. "Don't touch my stuff you little bitch, understand?" I heard Bitch Doll hiss venomously at someone from down the hall. I didn't really pay attention until I heard the next person speak.

"I'm sorry. I just thought—" Lissa's voice spoke meekly.

My head shot up, and I dropped the pitchfork moving down the hallway quickly. Bitch Doll pointed her finger at Lissa, causing Lissa to flinch and said, "Don't screw with me _princess_." She sneered on the word, "You think you're so great, don't you." She opened her mouth to say something else, but I quickly moved between them, glaring at Bitch Doll fiercely.

"This conversation is over." I told her firmly. "Go piss off someone else."

"Who was talking to you, whore?" The girl asked while I rolled my eyes. Whore? So original. I'd been called way worse.

"I'll break you in half. Just go ask Dawn Yarrow what happened when she pissed me off." Admittedly, the incident with Dawn had not been one of my finer moments. However, it served its purpose right now as I saw fear flit through the girl's eyes. I honestly hadn't meant to break her arm when I'd shoved her into the tree, but she deserved it. I'm just saying.

"You screw with me, I'll screw with you right back." Bitch Doll hissed at me while I rolled my eyes.

"I'm terrified." I said tonelessly. The girl flipped her ringlets over her shoulder and stalked away while I turned to Lissa who looked shaken but not horribly upset. "What did you do to her?" I blurted out while Lissa just shrugged, turning back to her mare.

"I figured it was just the ongoing friendship between Aaron and I." Lissa said.

"Can you really be friends with someone whose tongue had been down your throat?" I asked Lissa who shook her head at me.

"Thanks Rose." Lissa said quietly.

"What are best friends for?"

"Moral support?" Lissa quipped, tightening the girth as a smile came to her lips.

"That too." I commented.

"Are you gonna watch my lesson?" Lissa asked, her eyes pleading me to stay and watch. I sighed but nodded my head. "Thank you!" Lissa squealed, hugging me. "Are you going to ride while you're here?" Lissa whispered, looking around so that no one heard her. This time, I didn't answer, staying silently and looking over at the mare who watched me intently. "Rose. You were amazing. It's been three months. Just hop on, Rose. Try again. You don't have to do anything extreme, but just getting back on and walking a lap or two would be good for you."

Looking down, I glared at my intertwined fingers and sighed. "It's not that easy, Lissa." I told her. She waited for me to elaborate, but didn't push me when I didn't. "I'll ride again when I'm ready."

"Will you ever be ready?" Lissa asked.

"I don't know." I answered honestly while she gave me a sad, knowing smile. Her instructor called the riders from the other end of the hall, and Lissa gave me one last look as she pulled on her helmet.

"It'll be okay. You're strong." Lissa said to me.

"Have a good ride, sis." I smirked at her while she laughed and nodded.

The Red Creek riding team, practiced in the biggest arena, far from the hustle and bustle of the barn. I walked out to the arena quickly, plopping onto the bleachers set up for parents whenever they decided to come watch their children, a rare occurrence in and of itself. The Red Creek team consisted of the best riders in Red Creek ranch and nearly everyone wanted to be on the team. However, the only thing harder than actually being on the team was staying in. At the moment, it consisted of Camille, three of her friends, Aaron, Bitch Doll, Jesse, Lissa, and surprisingly, Natalie Dashkov whose father sat a little ways away from me looking worse for the wear. Victor Dashkov, Natalie's father, had been diagnosed with cancer around two years ago. The years of chemotherapy and radiation seemed to have finally taken its toll on Victor who looked much older than he truly was. Damn shame too, he'd been a great rider turned businessman who'd, reportedly, been Tatiana's successor to her various stables when she died. With his inevitable demise at the hands of the incurable disease, he'd lost that privilege.

My eyes focused on Lissa, Natalie, and Bitch Doll who all stood side-by-side in the line up that their instructor, Ms. Carmack, had told them to make while she spoke to them quietly. Lissa looked regal, as always, on the back of her chestnut, thoroughbred mare, Rhea, named after her mother. On her right side, Natalie looked gawky and nervous on her gorgeous Rocky Mountain horse gelding, Storm. On the left, Bitch Doll looked like a little girl trying to fit in with the big kids. Her position and seat looked unnatural and forced, and the way she tried to look regal on horseback just made her look awkward. The horse she rode, a gorgeous Belgian warm blood named Sterling, belonged to Red Creek.

Mason and Eddie sat down on either side of me, and I regarded them for a moment before looking back at the lesson. Watching as they moved out of their lineup to start warming up. "Who's that girl on Sterling?" I asked them both watching as she dropped her stirrups, walking without them. Honestly, Bitch Doll didn't honestly look like too bad of a rider. The only thing that really separated her from her fellow riders was her place in society. I could tell just by talking to her that she hadn't grown up around wealth and privilege like everyone else. Everyone else owned their own horse and tack, went to expensive private schools, and had politicians and businessmen as parents. After spending a lifetime trying to survive in a world operated by the rich and entitled, you learned to pick up the small difference that helped identify who was a socialite and who was a fraud. And Bitch Doll? Total fraud.

"You don't remember her?" Mason asked.

"Should I?" I replied who Eddie just rolled his eyes.

"She's only a year younger than us." Eddie informed me while I looked at him doubtfully.

"I know it's hard to believe." Mason commented, squinting in her direction for a moment before continuing. "Mia Rinaldi. Not royally inbred." He said, regarding the fact that her family didn't consist of high-ranking members of society. I nodded my head while Eddie just rolled his eyes. "What? I'm just making a point." He told Eddie before turning back to me. "She rolls with Camille and her crew and has since a little while after you left. She dates Aaron, as I'm sure you can see."

I watched her for a moment before looking back at Mason. "She seems desperate to fit in."

Eddie shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but she's a middle class girl trying to hang out with filthy rich socialites while trying to hold on to a place on the riding team. What do you expect?"

I didn't answer turning back to look at the group riding in front of me. "What's her problem with Lissa?" I asked.

Mason shrugged. "I didn't know she had a problem with Lissa."

"Did you ever think that she just has a problem with you?" Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow—why could everyone do that but me?—"After all, it wouldn't be the first time."

"Ha ha, Edison, you're so funny." I said sarcastically. I shook my head, narrowing my eyes in her direction, watching as she and Sterling popped over a crossrail. Shaking my head, I looked at them. "No, she definitely has a problem with Lissa." I said to them. Letting the situation drop, I turned to my two friends with a smile. "So how has your day been so far?" I asked them lightly, leaning back and watching them

Mason and Eddie shrugged. "Normal, how was yours?"

"Tiring," I admitted. "Dimitri had me run two miles."

"Dimitri?" Mason asked. "Why was Belikov telling you to run two miles?"

Looking over at them, I sighed. "He's helping me get back into shape."

"Belikov's training with you?" Mason asked incredulously while even Eddie looked surprised.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

"The guy's a _god, _Rose." Mason said.

Eddie and I glanced at each other, rolling our eyes at Mason's words. "He's really anti-social, but he's a black belt, and he kicks ass. Not to mention, Mason and I watched him horseback ride the other day and he's amazing." Eddie said, telling me accurate information as opposed to Mason's words. "Actually you'll see him ride this afternoon."

I looked at them in surprise. "What do you mean?" I asked them.

Now Mason and Eddie looked surprised. "The staff ride this afternoon."

Of course.

~O~O~O~

"You're not going to ride?" Dimitri asked from beside me wear I sat on a stall door, watching my fellow staff members tack up various horses and trying to stop the flashbacks from pouring into me.

Looking at him sideways, I shrugged. "No, why?" I asked him, trying to avoid the subject but finding no clear way to change the subject without him noticing.

Dimitri tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Because I've heard the stories about you, and even after three months, your name doesn't just disappear because you went off the map." He said to me, crossing his arms over his chest and watching me expressionlessly. "Have you even ridden since the accident?" Dimitri asked me quietly.

As hard as I fought to keep the memories at bay, they hit me full force. I worked to keep my face blank as the memories pelted me once again, leaving me feeling as vulnerable as I always did after one of the flashbacks. Shaking it off, I looked back at Dimitri who looked at me with concern. A little on edge about the flashback, I hopped off of the door just for something to do. Shrugging, I crossed my arms over my chest and wandered over to where Dimitri's huge Spanish mustang stood fully tacked save for his bridle in crossties. "Does it matter?" I replied.

"Rose," Dimitri said, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dimitri." I responded, my voice as close to neutral as I could get, though I knew it still came out sharp.

"Rose…" He paused, unsure how to continue before putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're not fine." Dimitri informed me softly. I bit my lower lip, not quite sure how to respond to this.

I moved away from his hand, not looking in his direction. "You don't know me." I whispered before walking away without looking back. I sat down on the bleachers, watching as Mason, Eddie, and all the rest of my old friends walked into the arena and mounted up. Feeling the need to just talk to someone, I picked up the phone and called Lissa.

"Hello?"

"Hey Liss."

"Hey, Rose," she said sounding distracted. "What do you need?"

"I just wanted to—" I began when she cut me off.

"Look, Rose, I'm really sorry, but I have to go work on this English project. Can we talk tomorrow?" Lissa asked me sounding desperate.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, forcing my voice to stay light. "Sure, of course," I said to Lissa, my eyes on the people and horses in front of me.

"Thanks Rose. I'll see you tomorrow." Lissa said quickly. "Bye." She said as the dial tone sounded in my ear.

"Bye," I said. Getting up quickly, I sprinted away from the arena and walked into my bunk, slamming the door behind me. My phone rang suddenly, and I yanked it out of my pocket, my eyes locking on the screen.

**Jesse: Doing something 2nite**

I needed a distraction, and Jesse Zeklos seemed like perfect person to do just that. Smiling, I sent him a quick text message back.

**Rose: **I am now

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews, love the support, it's very motivating. I'm going to grab dessert and then start on Chapter Four that'll be very Rose and Dimitri oriented regardless of Jesse's necessary cameo. Thanks again. Later. Also you can find pictures of everyone's horses on my profile including Rose's future equine buddy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, against all odds I have my gift for you despite my brother's party and the sudden obsession with watching Criminal Minds. Anyway, here's my daily gift for you, and yes, I will try to pump out a chapter every day. I think this might be my longest chapter yet, but I love it. The scene with Jesse that you all saw coming due to the last chapter is very very similar to the chapter in the original VA because I can't do it any better than Richelle Mead. Granted I did have to tweak since they're all human with no Moroi and dhampier social status etcetera. However, I did my best. Also, there will be a lot of Rose/Dimitri bonding because I love them and they need a little bonding. Also for anyone who checked out my profile for pics of the animals you'll be introduced to Buria who is, incidentally, kind of psycho in my opinion. I would never ride that horse, that's for damn sure. Also for anyone who doesn't ride horses termonolgy you don't recognize will be at the end. Enjoy.**

**Richelle Meads owns Vampire Academy not me including all the characters.**

**But I still own the horses ;)**

* * *

Chapter Four: Getting to Know You

Quickly, I changed out of my work clothes and into a pair of tight jeans and a low-cut tank top, making sure to grab a sweatshirt on my way out the door. A small part of me whispered not to do what I was about to do as I walked out the back door of the bunkhouse, making sure to stay within the quickly falling shadows as I moved towards the main house. It was a small part that I could easily ignore. I let myself in through the side door, walking into the lounge to see about five or six of the barn's riders gather in small groups and talking quietly. Jesse sat beside Ralf, seeming impatient about something, before he noticed me and grinned.

Letting a coy smile play over my lips, I walked over to him, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "Lounge over the garage, ten minutes," I told him before moving down the hallway quickly. The lounge of the garage hadn't been used in years, though I didn't really know why. Mason, Eddie, and I had found it while playing hide-and-go seek with Lissa years ago.

It didn't take long to get into the lounge, and Jesse followed a moment later sitting down on the couch. I plopped down beside him, dumping my legs in his lap. My need for a distraction was already beginning to subside, letting me know with certainty that Jesse had been a good choice. I didn't know why I suddenly felt the need for a distraction from the whirlwind of events that had been following me for the day, but I decided not to over think it.

"What were you up to?" I inquired lightly while Jesse ran his fingers up my denim-clad leg.

"Ralf and I have an assignment to do." Jesse said, shaking his head. "Don't teachers know that their students have lives?"

I laughed, shrugging, "I don't think that they really care."

Jesse rolled his eyes before scowling again. "We're working with Meredith too."

"Aw," I teased, "Is working with a hardworking middle-class citizen beneath your rich kid blood? Should I be offended?"

Jesse smiled at me. "You're a lot hotter than she is."

"Glad I make the cut," I said huskily, the heat in his eyes turning me on just like his hand that had continued to skim up my leg. However, a sudden thought came to me on how I could use this momentary distraction the make both mine and Lissa's life easier. "Mia must, too, since you guys let her hang out with you. She's not rich, you know." I said to him offhandedly.

Jesse's finger playfully poked my calf. "She's dating Aaron," he said with a shrug. "And I've got a lot of friends who aren't rich. I'm not a complete asshole."

I continued, knowing I'd peeked his attention. Hot as Jesse was, when it came to gossip, he had a feminine side that could be rivaled by Gossip Girl herself. It was both entertaining and useful, especially at this moment. "Yeah, but did you know that her parents are practically the Drozdov's custodians?" I asked him. Mason had filled me in on everything that he knew about Mia while we'd finished watching the riding team's lesson. Since his family also worked on the estate as bodyguards (for the same company as my mother), he'd learned about Mia's family when he'd visited for a couple of weeks over the summer. Getting him to tell me had been the easy part, finding out how to get the rumors out had been the hard part. Double thank you to Jesse.

"Seriously?" Jesse asked me.

"Yeah., they scrub floors and stuff like that." I replied.

"Huh." Jesse said, the wheels turning behind his dark blue eyes. I hid a smile, knowing the seed had been planted; now, all I had to do was wait.

I sat up, moving closer to him and draping a leg over his lap. Thoughts of the Mia gossip disappeared as I wrapped my arms around him, and, without delay, his testosterone kicked in. He kissed me eagerly if not a little sloppily while pushing me against the back of the couch. I relaxed, knowing this had been the first enjoyable physical activity I'd had in weeks. We kissed like that for a long, and I didn't try to stop him when he pulled off my shirt.

"I'm not having sex." I warned him. Despite what people thought about me, I was still a virgin, and I had no intention of losing my virginity on a couch in a lounge.

Jesse paused, contemplating this, before deciding not to push it. "Okay," he retorted before pushing me onto the couch, lying over me while continuing to kiss me fiercely. His hands skimmed down my sides, and I let out an excited gasp. His hands made it to the top of my jeans, reaching to undo the buttons.

"Don't," I warned, knowing that if I let him go there, I doubted he'd stop.

"You want to." Jesse's voice held excitement and anticipation.

"No, I don't." I told him. I wasn't sure if deep down, that was the truth or not.

"You do," He replied. "Everyone knows you've done it before anyway. What's one more time?" Jesse asked me.

My eyes narrowed at him. "I'm not a whore," I snapped, pulling away from him.

"But you want to. You like it, all the girl's I'm with do." Jesse said to me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. Wow, I'd never noticed how completely arrogant and self-assured he was. Plus, there was absolutely no way that Jesse Zeklos was getting into my pants. I wasn't even a good kisser, drooling a little more than necessary.

Realizing hostility would only make the situation worse, I decided on the next best things. "Stop it," I told him gently, running a fingertip over his lips. "I told I'm not going to do that. But I'm sure there are plenty other things we can do." I whispered to him seductively.

That peeked his interest, and his hands went back to rest on my sides. "Yeah? Like wha—"

The door flew open, and we sprang apart, turning our heads to see a really pissed off Russian standing in the doorway. In the blink of an eye, he'd crossed the room and lifted Jesse up by his shirt. "Jesse Zeklos, yes?" Dimitri asked while Jesse stuttered out a yes. "I don't every want to see anything like this," he said pointing to where I still sat shirtless on the couch, "or I will punish you. And it will hurt, a lot. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Jesse stuttered.

"Then go," Dimitri said. Jesse got out of there faster than Dimitri had come in, and then Dimitri's gaze turned to me with a dangerous glint in his eye. Then it shifted like he'd been taken by surprise. Had it been anyone else, I would have said he was checking me out. The way he looked at me did more to me than Jesse's kiss had. I flushed, wondering what it would be like if he—

Bad Rose! I thought to myself. I stopped that line of thought before it went too far. As usual, I covered my embarrassment with attitude. "See something you like?" I snapped at him.

Dimitri's mouth hardened, his previous thoughts gone in an instant. "Get dressed." I pulled my shirt back on, more than a little uneasy at seeing this side of him. In one and a half span of days that I'd know him, I already knew enough to know that seeing this side of him should worry me. When I got to my feet, he spun around walking out of the room, and I following him instinctively.

"How'd you find me anyway?" I asked him as he walked briskly down the stairs and towards the door of the main house.

"One of the house cleaning staff told me." Dimitri retorted. "Do you have any idea how stupid this was?" He questioned me while I sighed, refusing to answer to the question. "I can't figure you out, Rose. What the hell is going on up there?" He asked me quietly, genuinely sounding like he wanted to know.

I shrugged. "It's not like this is new for me, Comrade. It's not that big a deal."

Dimitri shook his head seeming exasperated. "It is a big deal, Rose. Do you really want to make your reputation any worse?"

"You don't know anything about me." I said, my voice hard and my tone slightly defensive.

"I've heard the stories people tell about you, Rose." He responded. I rolled my eyes, knowing that a huge percentage of them were total lies. Growing up, I hadn't exactly walked the straight and narrow, but I'd never been as bad as the rumors claimed I was. I certainly didn't like him bringing them up. "Can you walk back to your bunk without throwing yourself on anyone else or do you need an escort?"

"Is that your subtle way of calling me a slut?" I demanded angrily. "You have no right to call me a slut when—"

Dimitri cut me off suddenly, coming to a stop right in front of me. The sun was setting, and where we were was devoid of people since nearly everyone was at dinner. "When I know nothing about you?" He replied. "You keep saying that, but you won't talk to me. Have you talked to anyone? You don't have to do everything by yourself Rose. You came here for a reason, but do you even know why you came here? If not you need to figure it out before you do something that'll get you into more trouble." Dimitri said to me.

Uncomfortable with being attacked, I snapped at him. "You think you have it all figured out? Why the hell did you come here?" Dimitri stopped, obviously uneasy about the question. I laughed humorlessly, shaking my head. "Yeah, exactly, don't give me Zen life lessons you can't follow, Comrade." I said, moving to go past him when he grabbed my arm gently, stopping me. I turned my head to look into his gorgeous brown eyes, waiting.

"Come on," he said. I followed him down a small path beside one of the paddocks until we reach a small rocky outcropping a little ways above Red Creek. I sat cross-legged on the ground and looked up at him, waiting for him to say whatever he wanted to tell me. "Everyone comes here for a reason. I came here because my best friend, Ivan Zeklos, died." He told me.

My gaze sharpened as he said his friend's name. Ivan Zeklos? I didn't say anything though, letting him continue since I could see in his eyes how hard it was for him to talk about.

"Ivan and I had been inseparable, practically, since high school. He was the son of a diplomat who wanted to be in politics. Ivan had a bodyguard that his father forced him to have, and I trained for years to become his guard too. I was all set up to take my last test to become a part of D&M, the bodyguard agency-"

I nodded, "I know, my mom works for them."

Dimitri nodded too, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I had to stay in Philedelphia for a few days to finish the training when I got a call. Ivan had been kidnapped and killed by a man who wasn't happy with his father. I left, went to his funeral, and traveled around for a little while doing whatever I could until I found out they needed staff here. I'd always been good with horses so I decided to come work here." He said.

For a moment, neither of us spoke, both trapped in our own thoughts. I broke the silence. "Jesse's a Zeklos. Does it bother you? Does he remind you of Ivan?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel."

"It damn well should." I said to him, and he turned to look at me. "You hurt, don't you? Every day." I said to him while he looked shocked. "It wasn't your fault, though. And don't pretend that you didn't come here to forget, I know you did and I know it isn't working?"

"How would you know that?" Dimitri shot back sounding half exasperated and half defensive.

"Because that's why I came, and it's only been a day but I can already tell it won't work." I sighed, and Dimitri sat down next to me, both of our eyes on the setting sun.

"You're running away from your problems." Dimitri commented.

"And you're not?" I retorted before sighing. "Besides, this isn't me running away, I already did that once. This is me trying to come back." Dimitri didn't look at me, but I knew he wanted me to continue, which I did reluctantly. "I always played sports. I played a lot of sports, but that was mostly because—according to my therapist, Deirdre—the team environment supplemented my nonexistent family, which is why I never protested when my mother had me play every sport under to sun. The only one that I really liked, that really ever made me feel…alive was riding." I said to him with a small smile on my face. "By eighth grade, I'd pretty much given up every other sport except for karate and horseback riding. I bought Serafina in fourth grade and trained her to be the best, and she was. Other than Lissa, Sera was my best friend. I watched her die. I was the reason she died." I said to Dimitri, shaking my head and holding back tears as I did so. "My stirrup leather broke, and I lost my balance. I shouldn't have, I'd been riding and playing enough sports that I had impeccable balance. I shouldn't have fallen on her neck." I whispered more to myself than to him, utterly surprised at how much I was admitting. Getting to my feet and crossing my arms over my chest, I turned to meet Dimitri's eyes. "I tried to ride once after Serafina died, and my injuries healed; I had a panic attack. I came back to try to forget, just like you."

Dimitri didn't say anything for a moment, just looking at me and sighing. I rubbed my arms, trying to get warm after I realized I'd left my sweatshirt in the lounge. Letting a small smile play over his lips, Dimitri tossed me his, and I pulled it on, tossing him a thankful glance. It was freaking huge on me, almost like a dress. I buried my head into my heads, letting the friction warm my face while inhaling Dimitri's aftershave. Looking back at him, I noticed him watching me with amusement in his eyes. I blushed, covering my cheeks so he couldn't see it before narrowing my eyes at him.

"You'll be okay, Rose." He said to me quietly.

"That's optimistic. I can't even hold a saddle without panicking, let alone get on a horse." I said to him a little harsher than I intended. "I ran away for two months to Turkey to try to escape this reality, and you really think I'm going to be alright?" I snapped at him, "Even my therapist wasn't that optimistic."

Dimitri looked at me dryly. "Isn't their job to either stay objective or hand out medication?"

I rolled my eyes, trying not to crack a smile. "Only to sociopaths and married couples."

Shaking his head, Dimitri sighed before asking, "In that order?"

"Well duh," I said, letting my smile spread over my face, "who's going to tell a sociopath that they're crazy and hand them meds to not be so homicidal? Not me."

Dimitri rolled his eyes but I could see amusement in their depths. Glad I could be of service since he didn't really seem to have any friends. Eddie and Mason mentioned he was antisocial, but I'd never really thought about it before. From what I'd seen today, despite the fact that he sat with the instructors and adult staff members at lunch and dinner, he never really seemed to socialize with anyone out of class. I wondered if maybe Dimitri Belikov was lonely; after all, he really seemed to have no friends, and by his somewhat pronounced accent, I doubted his family lived here, though maybe that was a stereotype.

"What I _meant_ was that you just need someone to make you get back on."

I raised both my eyebrows. "If I never want to ride again, I don't have to." I said to him while Dimitri sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Maybe 'make' was the wrong word, and you _do _want to ride again, you're just terrified to get on again." He said reading me effortlessly. I looked away, at the waning sliver of sunlight still left on the horizon. "What happened to you was that they approached you riding again, all wrong. You're scared of tack, horses, and all the possibilities that you realize actually exist now for both you and the horses you grow attached to could be injured. Not to mention, you nursed your injuries, watched your horse die, and then got thrown right back in the saddle again after never really accepting what happened." Dimitri said quietly. "You weren't ready, and you still aren't, and that's problem."

Giving Dimitri a curious look, I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. "You sound like you have a plan or something."

Dimitri shrugged, "I think so, but if I'm going to help you do this, you have to be committed. What happened tonight can't happen again. You have to want this."

I paused to think about that, though I knew that, truly, there was really nothing to think about. I wanted this. I needed this part of my life back, and I'd do anything to get it back. And I had a feeling Dimitri could really help me. For some reason, I already trusted him more than I was comfortable with. "I do. I promise that won't happen again."

For a moment, Dimitri just looked at me as if looking for something. I didn't know what he was looking for, but the next second he nodded. "Good, come on then, I want to introduce you to someone." He said, getting to his feet and grabbing my hand. We walked back the way we could, but instead of turning down the road that lead back to the barn and bunkhouses, we kept walking forward until we hit a large, covered corral. Laying down in front of the gate was the barn dog, a Border Collie named Moxley who'd been raised on the ranch.

"You want to introduce me to Moxley, because I hate to ruin your fun but I already know her." I said sarcastically while Moxley looked up in surprise before trotting over to me, her tail wagging.

Dimitri didn't respond, flipping on the light switch to reveal the inside of the covered arena. I kissed Moxley's white and black head before walking up to the gate to see the horse inside. Standing on the other side of the corral, pacing nervously was a large, beautiful dappled gray gelding so light in color he was almost white. "Meet our newest arrival, Buria." He told me in a quietly tone while my eyes followed the gelding. "He's an Anglo-Arab, 16 hands, and was a show jumper for a little while." He said.

"What does his name mean?" I asked him, recognizing the Russian word after spending like a week in Russia with my father, though I couldn't remember its meaning.

"Storm," I nodded, turning back to look at the gelding who seemed nervous. "What happened to him?" I asked Dimitri without taking my eyes off of Buria.

"Neglect, a little bit of abuse, and starvation for a little while after his owner couldn't afford to keep him anymore and his rider couldn't afford to buy him to show him in Grand Prix competitions." Dimitri said, leaning against the side of the corral. "He's a troublemaker. He's scared of people because of his past. And he's thrown a big percent of riders. He hates being tacked up and refuses to jump, not to mention he trusts no one." Dimitri informed me.

I looked at him sideways with suspicion, not liking where this was going. "Why did you want me to meet him?"

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, letting a small smile play over his lips. "Because he's now your responsibility."

"Not a funny joke, Comrade." I said, looking back at the horse.

"You both need each other more than you know, and you'll grow together by helping each other get through those fears." Dimitri told me while I looked at him in disbelief. "It'll be a process." He shrugged before turning his back and walking towards the bunks while I gave Buria one last look. "You have your morning run to get you back in shape, but we start tomorrow after dinner so try to get some sleep."

What have I gotten myself into?

* * *

***Anglo-Arab: a breed of horse that's a cross between a thoroughbred (most often seen as the horses who race) and an arabian (look them up, they're gorgeous)**

***hands: the unit used to measure horses and they're measured from the withers (the bump righ above the front legs) to the ground-so Rose's horse is very big**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Chapter five might not be up at all tomorrow but I will try. However, I have horseback riding and we actually have school again on Monday *sigh* Okay well thank you so much for reading, and thanks again everyone for your fantastic reviews. Ttyl.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody, super sorry for the wait, but school is coming back into session with a vengeance. Projects have to get done (though I think that they should make assault legal in special circumstances I mean a good smacking around just helps people get back on track sometimes). Plus, horseback riding is a necessary evil that I can't live without. It's the cheese to my macaroni (go Juno! great movie). Anyway, here it is. My chapter with fresh energy after horseback riding. You'll get to get a taste of Christan and LissaxChristian stuff. Whoo! Voila.**

**Everything is owned by Richelle Mead, nothing is mine except for the horses. They're all mine ;)**

**There's my disclaimer. Have at it.**

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Chapter Five: Buria

"Rose!" Eddie and Mason called as I walked in through the door of the barn in rain boots, jean shorts, and a tank top, my wet hair resting on one shoulder. I waved at them, twisting it up into a clip before jogging over to them. "Someone's a little late for morning feeding!" Mason said as I slowed to a stop beside them.

I shrugged, looking down at the written list that documented how much food each horse got before moving to scoop oats for the next stall. "Yeah, well, I had to take a shower. Running with Dimitri? It's a killer." I remarked, dumping the oats into the bucket and going back to the feed cart Mason stood behind. "Won't happen again." I insisted while a grin in Mason's direction while he scowled. Laughing, I popped my head out of the stall I was in and looked at him. "Can you resist this face?" I teased.

"No, he can't." Eddie called from the stall beside me while Mason went red, mumbling for Eddie to shut up.

"Sounds like we're having a lot of fun in here." Alberta said, striding down the hallway with a stack of folders in her arms.

"No ma'am." Mason replied with fake seriousness.

"No fun here." Eddie replied while I rolled my eyes, stifling giggles and walking back to the feed cart for another scoop of oats.

Alberta looked at me with a small smile on her lips, nodding her head in a silent hello. I waved back at her before scooping out oats as per Mason's instruction page. I dropped it into a bucket, walking back out of the stall to see Alberta writing on the whiteboard with dry-erase marker. They taught more than just the riding team, and each day Alberta wrote the names of people riding that day, grouping them by lesson time, and writing the name of whatever horse she wanted to try them on that day unless they had their own. "I need someone to bring food to Buria." She told us offhandedly, gesturing to the empty black bucket at her feet.

Mason and Eddie opened their mouths, excitement in their eyes, about to volunteer when Dimitri's voice spoke up. "Rose will do it." He commented as he walked into the room, writing something on the board quickly.

I sighed, grabbing the list out of Mason's hand while Dimitri walked over and handed me the bucket. "I guess Rose'll do it." I said to Alberta who smiled but nodded.

"Dimitri can go with you." She said, and I nodded before waving goodbye to Eddie and Mason while walking out of the barn with Dimitri right beside me.

"You know, you could've just told me to feed her this morning." I said to him as we walked towards the corral.

Dimitri shrugged, not bothering to respond while we walk. "Your lesson starts now." Dimitri said while I raised my eyebrows, not commenting on his words. "I want Buria to get used to you, and you to him," Dimitri told me while I listened attentively. "He's scared of people after being abused so many years, and you need to reconnect with a horse that isn't Serafina. Understand?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm not an invalid. I get it." I said, rolling my eyes. Dimitri shook his head at my words.

As we approached the gate, I saw a flash of light gray as Buria streaked past the gate, clearly agitated or bored. Slowly, I opened the gate, watching as he slammed to a stop across from me, his eyes on me, as I walked into the corral. Dimitri told me to put it in the center of the corral. And I kept my eye on Buria as I made my way to the center, putting the bucket on the ground gently, before pausing to look at Buria who seemed a combination between broken and brazen. If I hadn't realized deep down why Dimitri wanted me to use this horse, I did now. Buria reminded me of myself. He was scared, bruised, and terrified but you could see that he would fight tooth and nail not to be.

Behind me, the gate closed softly, and I whipped my head around to see Dimitri smiling slightly. "Stay here."

"Excuse me?" I snapped at him.

"You're exempt from doing chores today, because I told Ms. Kirova you volunteered to help me train Buria." Dimitri informed me with amusement in his voice at my shocked expression that was quickly morphing into one that showed how pissed of I was.

"And babysitting a horse that's locked up helps how?" I snapped at him.

"Didn't you train your mare?" Dimitri asked, looking generally surprised by my question.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I walked over till I stood across from him, crossing my arms over my chest as I glared. "Trained. Yes, from when she was a foal. I've never rehabilitated before, though." I said while Dimitri nodded his head.

"When rehabilitating a horse, it's all about trust." Dimitri told me, "That's what you're doing now. You're going to sit in here all day to help build her trust. Make sure she doesn't see you as a threat."

"And how does this help me?" I asked.

Dimitri looked at me, amused. "Ask me in two weeks." He said before striding away. "I'll bring you lunch!" He called over his shoulder while I sighed.

"What am I supposed to do for entertainment?" I called. "Watching a horse that doesn't trust me all day isn't exactly mentally stimulating."

Sighing, Dimitri stopped walking and turned to face me looking annoyed before a mischevious glint popped into his eyes. "Well, you could read my book." He said pulling a paperback book out of the pocket of his duster.

My eyes narrowed on the book with suspicion. "What kind of book is it?"

"Western," Dimitri commented while I scowled, "by Louis L'amour."

"Ugh! Pass." I said shaking my head while Dimitri laughed walking away with a wave over his shoulder.

Turning back, I noticed Buria standing on the opposite side of the arena in the same position, eyeing me warily while simultaneously eyeing the oats in the center longingly. With a sigh, I dropped down onto the ground cross-legged, facing Buria. Leaning my back against the gate, I met Buria's brown eyes and tilted my head. "Just eat, I'll just sit here looking not like a threat, and trying to keep myself entertained with only a cell phone and an iPod." I commented watching as he took to hesitant steps forward before stopping suddenly to watch me.

Thirty minutes later, I sat in the same position feeling stiff, hot, and tired while listening to Sean Kingston sing about how beautiful girls break your heart. In the center of the corral, Buria had finally just reached his bucket, eating his oats but with the same paranoia as his walk to the bucket. Every now and then, he'd glance up at me, watching me for a few moments with suspicion and caution as if afraid I'd go over and steal his food away from me while he warned me not to. Consider his large, varied history of abuse, I realized that might have happened to him. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment before looking back at Buria. It was going to be a long day.

~O~O~O~

"_Privet,_" I heard from behind me about four or five hours later. Getting to my feet, I turned to see Dimitri walking towards me with two plates of foods and a bag of…something. "How's your day been so far?" He asked me, not trying to hide amusement.

I glared at him, grabbing the plates from his hands as he opened the gate, walking in and closing it behind him. We sat side-by-side on the corral floor while Buria watched us suspiciously, not that different from his norm. "What does that mean, anyway?" I asked him while I took a bite of the burger on the plate.

"What?" Dimitri asked before continuing. "You mean, _privet_?" He questioned, looking at me while I nodded my head. "It means hello in Russian."

"Right…" I said before tilting my head and looking at him sideways. "Let's try to remember that I'm monolingual—if that's even a word—and that I cannot speak Russian. So, for the sake of the argument, let's keep things English, yes?" I told him, nodding my head so he understood that I wasn't really giving him a choice.

Dimitri smiled. "Why is it such a big deal?"

I shrugged, "It's not really, but if you're going to insult me, I want to know you're doing it so I have a chance to defend myself. Using a foreign language is so cheating." I told him, stealing some cheetos off of his plate.

"I wasn't insulting you, though." Dimitri argued while I shrugged, the point still held regardless of whether or not he was insulting me. "Anyway, you sound like you've thought a lot about this."

This time, I barked out a laugh, my mind flitting over my sojourn in Turkey with Abe and his mobster crew. "Yeah, well, it actually happened to me while in Turkey with my Baba." I said, a smile appearing on my face as I spoke about my time there and my father. I'd called him in the morning after taking a shower to say hello and play catch up. It might have only been a couple of days but after living there for two months, I missed everyone like crazy, even my crazy, somewhat eccentric father. "Luckily I had Pavel there or else I never would have known what they were saying."

Dimitri smiled, "Who's Pavel?"

"My Baba's best friend. He kind of become like an uncle to me." I said. Pavel and Abe had a close friendship, though he did act as Abe's bodyguard. Still, even though he came off as a hardass, he wasn't really once you got to know him. I missed him almost as much as I missed Abe and the solace Turkey had provided.

"You liked Turkey, then?" Dimitri inquired curiously.

I shrugged, "I guess, I think what I really liked was the people I met and the shelter it provided from everything. Not to mention it pissed my mother off."

"You don't like your mother?"

"No," I blurted out. "She abandoned me, left me to be raised by an academy, and only tried to contact me to yell at me. Why would I like her?"

"Maybe she was just trying to help you be better—have better—than she did. Did you ever think of that?" Dimitri asked, while I just shrugged. "Or maybe she couldn't take care of you." He said to me, and I looked at him sharply, the thought having never occurred to me.

I knew my mother had been young when she'd given birth to me, but I'd never considered that she didn't know how to raise a child. I sighed, not liking how much alterations to my perceptions I'd have to make because of Dimitri's words. "Maybe," I admitted reluctantly. "I still grew up without both parents."

"Sometimes it's better not to know some people, Rose. At least while you're little." He said.

"What do you mean?" I replied, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"I know you grew up without your father and think that's the worst thing, but it's not." Dimitri told me, and I kept quiet, waiting for him to continue. "I grew up with my dad…around. He was rich, entitled, and came around every now and then because he…_liked _my mother."

"What did he do?" I asked, noting the haunted look in Dimitri's eyes mixed with fury.

"Beat her up every time he came." Dimitri admitted.

"Tell me you beat the crap out of him." I said, and Dimitri cracked a small smile, nodding his head.

"I did. When I was thirteen, and he never came back."

"You were thirteen?" I asked, and he nodded while I shook my head. "Wow, you really are a god." I whispered to myself while Dimitri glanced at me.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Do you have like an actual family?" I asked curiously.

Dimitri laughed at the way I'd phrased the sentence. "I guess you could say that. I grew up with my grandmother, Yeva, she's a little scary, and my mom, Olena. I have three sisters named Sonya, Viktoria, and Karolina, and as far as I know one nephew, Paul, and a niece on the way." He told me while I smiled, wondering what it must have been like to have a family. He sat beside me, talking happily about his family while I listened with a smile until he left to get back to work, leaving me with one question in my mind.

Why the hell did being around Dimitri make my heart pound and butterflies appear in my stomach?

~O~O~O~

"Hathaway." A mocking voice said to me from behind, and I whipped my head around to see none other than Christian standing on the other side of the gate looking at me.

Christian Ozera had attended school with me at the academy when I'd actually went there. He rarely ever spoke to anyone or them to him since the secret had leaked that both of his parents had had psychotic breaks, killing a bunch of people before being hunted down and killed by the FBI. He'd been scarred for life and taken in by his aunt, though he'd continued to go to St. Vladimir's in Montana. We'd never been on the best of terms whenever he actually decided to socialize, and I had no idea why he stood there talking to me now, or why he was at a barn of all places.

"Pyro," I commented, remembering how he liked to play with fire and noting how he flipped a lighter in his hands, though didn't smell strongly enough like smoke to make me think he was a smoker. "What are you doing here? You must have missed your turn, cemetery was one exit before ours on the main road." I said, mocking his long blue-black hair and black clothes.

Christian rolled his eyes. "Very funny," He said, rolling his eyes before suddenly becoming serious. "Have you seen Lissa around today?" Christian asked, not meeting my eyes while seeming kind of nervous.

"No," I said, looking at him suspiciously while glancing at my iPod to check the time. "Her lesson doesn't get out for another ten minutes, though." I replied, narrowing my eyes at him.

Nodding, Christian starting backing away from the gate, "Tell her I stopped by?"

"Sure," I said, still watching him go. What was Lissa up to?

~O~O~O~

"Hey stranger," Mason called, and I got to my feet to see him, Lissa, and Eddie heading my way with a bag of apples. I took them from him, raising both eyebrows while he laughed. "Belikov told us to give those to you." He said, and I sighed, nodding my head and dropping them on the ground.

I turned to Lissa, arms crossed over my chest. "What's going on between you and Christian?"

Eddie and Mason looked surprised and turned to look at Lissa who turned scarlet in seconds. "N-nothing," she stuttered. "Why?"

"Because he came by looking for you." I said to her, watching while glee slid across her face. "Nothing, huh?" I asked.

Lissa shook her head quickly while Eddie and Mason sniggered. "We just hang out sometimes. After all, we figured out that our getaway spots kind of overlap. Anyway," Lissa said with a shrug, "we're working on our English project together. It's not a big deal." She told me while I sighed, shaking my head.

"He's dangerous." I said.

"He's not." Lissa argued vehemently while Eddie and Mason looked at each other.

"He is." They replied while she shot them a look full of venom. "He set Ralf on fire for calling you and Rose lesbians in eighth grade, don't you remember?" Eddie asked while Mason laughed.

"Whatever," Lissa said, "I don't like him like that." She promised me before suddenly becoming distracted by a group of people from the riding team walking down the path. "Oh no," she muttered.

They all chattered, not really noticing us while I noticed everyone else stiffen. I wondered briefly what was going on with my friends, but I didn't have to wait long to find out. "Did you hear about Mia? Her family are practically servants for the Drozdovs." They all laughed as if actually having to work to put food on the table was funny. Mia's background didn't bother me, in fact, I had more respect for people who had to work hard for their money than people who worked three hours a day and sat on their ass for the rest and got paid triple. However, she'd messed with the wrong person, and that had been my first bit of gossip about her and also the most damaging.

"Yeah?" Another asked, "Well did you hear about Rose?" She asked while I looked at my friends in confusion. What the hell had I done now?" The others nodded while the girl laughed, shaking her head. "I always knew she was a slut." They said before walking out of earshot.

I looked at my friends in confusion, cutting them off before they could reply with statement designed to calm me. "What's the rumor?" I snapped.

"That you slept with Jesse." I rolled my eyes, as if I'd ever sleep with that baby. "And Ralf."

"What?" I hissed, not raising my voice to avoid spooking Buria who'd finally seemed to relax. They all hung their heads while I sighed, closing my eyes, "Fuck." I wanted to go punch in Jesse and Ralf's faces, but I knew that my probationary state still remained on thin ice, I didn't need to piss of the boss. I sat down, looking at Buria who looked back with nothing but curiosity now. "Can I be alone for a little while?" I asked.

"Rose," Lissa said but I shook my head. "We'll be here if you need us." She said before they exited.

I grabbed an apple out of the bag, taking a bite while rolling one over to Buria who looked at it suspiciously. Slowly, he walked over to the apple, eating it all before looking at me expectantly, clearly waiting for more. I rolled another one over with a small smile but it stopped about halfway between us. Buria looked at it longingly before looking at me. "I know how you feel." I said before pausing. "Well not really, I don't really have as many trust issues as you, but maybe a few." I told Buria before pouring my heart out to the horse about my accident, running away, my mother, my need for distractions, the weird feeling I got around Dimitri, and being called a slut again." I poured my heart out to Buria who wandered closer as I spoke before eating the apple. He stood there, listening to me talk until I fell asleep to the sound of Buria's calm breathing.

I came awake about one or two hours later to see the bag of apples pilfered and a large fuzzy muzzle tickling my cheek before falling asleep again only to be lifted by a pair of strong arms hours later. The next thing I knew, I was laid in my bed while someone murmured to me in another language before I completely passed out.

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**Love it? Hate it? I'd love your input whatever it may be. I'm going to pass out now, but just so you know, if you're friends ever say 'let's make a movie for our class project we only have two weeks to do and no time to shoot!' just say no. It'll save you a lot of trouble. Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry for the relatively long wait but it's been a crazy week. Family problems. Several school projects. Anyway, I decided that my rebuttal and conclusion for my Romeo and Juliet paper can wait as can all four vocab pages and Scene 5 of the Glass Menagerie (it's a suckish story anyway) So here you go, your chapter.

**Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead, but Buria belongs to me.**

Chapter Six: Kryptonite

The weeks passed slowly and summer morphed slowly into Fall. As the season changed, the landscape changing with it, my body grew stronger. My muscles stopped fighting, going back into line and my strength built up each passing day as did my endurance between the daily morning runs which lengthened as my endurance built up and the weight lifting that Dimitri had me doing. In that time, I readjusted myself to the lifestyle of Red Creek, allowing myself to reconnect completely with old friends and renewing my closer friendship with Lissa that may not have disappeared to our long distances away from each other but had certainly impaired it. More than just my relationships with my friends changed though, so did my relationship with Dimitri.

As I spent more time with him training and practicing, I learned a lot about him. For instance, I knew that he was twenty-four years old, had grown up in a small town called Baia in the southern part of Siberia, and that he lived with his mother, grandmother, and three sisters. In return, I told him about my mother's abandonment, my life at the academy, and my wildly exaggerated past. Most of my free time was spent either training with Dimitri or just talking to him about whatever crossed my mind that day, and he actually listened to me, a concession that I hadn't truly had since I'd gone to school with Lissa. More often then not, he'd offer me Zen lessons that made me tease him, but occasionally he would tell me a story of a similar experience that he'd experienced in his own childhood.

Then, there came Buria. Gradually, I'd built up his trust enough that he ate from my hand, didn't run from me, and felt comfortable enough to let me touch him. As I'd built his trust, Dimitri and I had slowly begun to build up his trust around others, which seemed to only lead him to trust me more as he seemed to look for me to be his security blanket in uncomfortable situations. My affection for him often swayed me to do just that, sending people away when he seemed like he was close to snapping. Buria had grown on me in a way no animal had since Serafina's death, though Moxley and I had definitely gotten on much friendlier terms since returning.

The comments about how much of a whore I was seemed to have died down a lot, though I figured that had to do a lot more with Lissa than the actual cycle the rumor mill went through. Ever since she'd caught me crying in my bunkhouse about four days after the rumors had turned particularly graphic and virulent, Lissa had made it her personal mission to help me dispel the rumors despite my advice against it. She'd started by furthering Mia's tear-down by stealing what little friends had stood by her away and catapulting from her spot in the shadows with her cousin, Natalie, into the spotlight of the social scene. For some reason, the rumors had become even harsher, so she'd cut Mia down once more by stealing Aaron back. Slowly the rumors had faded away, but Lissa had persisted in staying the spotlight regardless of the pain and depression it caused her. Twice I'd caught her cutting her wrists, the second time it had been so bad that I'd admitted to Dimitri and Alberta what happened and they'd had to drive her to the hospital. Aside from yelling at me, she refused to talk to me since.

Even more miserable, if possible, was Christian who had taken up milling around the ranch doing menial chores and silently, broodingly pining away after Lissa. I hadn't exactly helped the situation, telling him that she thought he was pathetic, driving a wedge between them. However, I had admitted to him it was a lie and apologized, albeit reluctantly, for my actions once I saw how much pain the separation had caused them both. Christian, though, could brood quietly for all I cared since he'd refused to talk to 'Princess Lissa' now that she'd become close to the top of the social hierarchy again.

I'd barely noticed it had been almost three months since I'd arrived at Red Creek Ranch until Mason had pointed it out to me as I'd sat down to have the luncheon/staff meeting. Dimitri met my eyes from the other side of the room and I smiled. He smiled back, and just the smile caused butterflies to appear in my stomach. I looked away sharply, chastising myself. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I lived for those smiles sometimes. Just then, my attention was diverted to Alberta who stood in the front of the room trying to get everyone's attention.

Once she had it, Alberta continued. "Hello everyone thanks for being here. As you all know, in just three days it will be Halloween." She said while everyone nodded, "We are still having our Halloween trail ride for anyone who wants to sign up…"

"Are you going to go?" Eddie asked me while I shook my head, my eyes still on Alberta wondering what could be a big enough deal for her to call all the staff for a meeting like this.

"What's also coming up is the Red Creek Halloween show." Alberta said, and I gave myself a mental slap. The Red Creek Halloween show was the start of Red Creek's major showing season. While they showed all year round most of the major shows happened starting with the Halloween show. In addition, the show also gave new riders to audition for a coveted spot on the riding team. "It takes place on the 31st and we'll need everyone to help during it." Alberta informed the staff who looked grim, knowing shows were the worst time to work since everyone seemed stressed out to the extreme. "Sorry, but thank you very much. Come see me if there is a reason you can't work the show, or else come see me for what you'll be doing at the show." She said with a nod before walking over to a table and sitting down.

"You going to go?" Eddie asked me.

"Do I have a choice?" I replied with a sigh. Honestly, I didn't want to go. This competition definitely was nowhere near as bad as the Court's competition in the Spring, but it still had a bunch of people willing to cutthroats to get what the wanted.

Mason shrugged, "Maybe, knowing you, I'm sure you could find someway to get out of it."

I laughed but nodded, knowing he was right. Even when I'd ridden here, I'd never been a part of the Red Creek Halloween show. I had mostly ridden for the fun of it and just to be around horses. Stressful shows with people willing to cutthroats to get what they wanted definitely didn't sit well with me. In showing, I'd seen a lot of things, and I knew that some people would do almost anything to win. I just hoped that a lot of those people didn't ride _here._ Deep down, though, I knew it was a vain hope.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go. Plus, there will mostly likely be a fabulous party afterwards." I said with a smile while Eddie and Mason shook there heads, obviously wondering why I wouldn't go on a trail ride. Honestly, I had no idea why I wouldn't tell them. They'd always been like my brothers. However, my fear of people pitying me outweighed my trust in them.

Mason looked at me with his puppy dogface on. "Please come on the Halloween trail with us." He pleaded while Eddie and I glanced at each other and rolled our eyes at his attempt, both knowing I'd win. "Come on, can you really resist this face?" He asked me while I laughed, nodding my head.

"I really really can." I told him while Eddie laughed, patting Mason on the back.

"Tough break man." Eddie said while Mason scowled.

"I gotta go," I said, hopping out of my seat. "I have a date."

Mason's scowl intensified while Eddie looked at me with a small smile. "I hope he's good enough for you Rose."

"Oh, definitely," I said, nodding.

"Who is he?" Mason asked.

"Why? What are you, jealous?" I retorted before realization dawned on me. He _was _jealous. Just like that, everything clicked into place: the harmless flirting, his chivalrous if not unnecessary acts, and his willingness to help me out of any trouble every. I felt bad, I just didn't feel anything like that towards him. He was simply Mason, a great guy, on of my best friends, and someone that I doubted I'd ever feel _that_ way towards. "His name's Buria. He's totally gorgeous."

"I knew it! Who called it?" Eddie teased while Mason rolled his eyes, attempting to lighten the moment now that he knew it wasn't an actual date.

I smiled at them before walking down to the corral where Buria stood at the gate expectantly. For the past two months, I'd stayed on a schedule with him, so he always knew when to expect me. Upon seeing me, Buria turned around and trotted to the other side of the arena with his head in the air. I laughed, hopping up to sit on the gate. "Expecting someone, Buria?" I asked the horse who snorted in reply before turning around and trotting up to me, leaning his large head down to rest in my lap. I ran my fingers through his forelock, untangling it while talking to him. Buria, I'd noticed, always seemed more at ease when I spoke to him. "If you keep behaving so well, they're going to put you in a small paddock to make some friends." I told him, letting a finer stroke his ear when it pricked forward to listen to me. "My best friend's mad at me, because I told someone that she cut her wrists. And my guy best friend's in love with me, and I don't think I'll ever love him the same way. What am I going to do? I can't lose both of them." I said to Buria who picked up his head to look at me with his liquid brown eyes.

"You won't." Dimitri's accented voice said from behind me, the scent of his aftershave hit me a second later. I turned around to look at him silently; my eyes challenging his knowing words. "You won't." He assured me again. "They're your best friends," he said coming up beside me and resting both arms on the gate, his eyes on Buria who watched him back with equal interest. "They'll get over it."

"Zen life lessons again, Comrade." I said softly, with a smile, turning to look at him. "Thanks."

~O~O~O~

"I need help!"

"Where is my girth!"

"Someone stole my saddle pad!"

"Who took all of the curry combs!"

"Where is my horse!"

"Shut up," I mumbled to myself, taking a gulp of Propel and peeking out of the empty stall into the crowded hallway. Across from me, Dimitri patiently assisted an annoyed-looking twelve year old tighten her girth, glancing up to see me. "Shit," I mumbled, dropping back down into a crouch, hoping he hadn't caught a good enough look to know that the person in the empty stall had been me.

"Rose! Get out of the stall." Dimitri called from the hallway, and I sprang up, glaring at him from the inside as I walked out into the hallway, avoiding all of the people rushing by.

"How could you destroy my solitude like that?" I questioned overly dramatic while he barked out a short laugh.

"Because I have to be here too. Go find someone in need." Dimitri said, turning me in an about-face and pushing the small of my back, sending me forward.

"In need or in want?" I asked.

"Whichever." He said before walking away with a smile on his face. I rolled my eyes before walking gingerly through the crowd, not entirely comfortable with the pandemonium around me. After checking on Buria, I noted he didn't seem so comfortable with the crowd either. He'd been nervous and jumpy since I'd brought him his breakfast early that morning and had grown more agitated as a new person appeared, crowding the barn. Parents had already begun filtering in to see their children, some dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, and baseball caps while others still wore expensive business suits or had their Blackberry's permanently attached to them.

Sighing, I jerked when someone grabbed my elbow and began pulling me towards the most crowded section of the barn. "What the h—" I began until I saw Mason. "What do you need?" I asked, trying to pull my arm away from him.

"I've got something you want to hear." Mason told me yanking me over to where Jesse and Ralf stood. "Chill, I found something out that I want you to hear." He said pulling me over to Jesse and Ralf who looked nervously at the ground when they saw me. "Talk," Mason said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at them.

"We know you didn't sleep with us." Jesse mumbled.

"Wow," I said, my voice saturated with sarcasm. "What a relief. I know I didn't sleep with you dumbass." I shot back.

Mason rolled his eyes. "Tell her why you spread the rumor."

"Mia told us to." Ralf admitted.

I rolled my eyes and gave Mason a look that clearly questioned whether or not I could go yet when he shook his head. "Tell her _why_." He persisted, and I looked at the two expectantly.

"Because she slept with us…both of us." Jesse said, and I looked at him in shock.

"At the same time?" I asked appalled.

"No!" Jesse shrieked, looking outraged, while Ralf seemed to think about it, not seeming to mind.

"Wow, okay," I said, feeling a smile light up my face as Mason dragged me away. My eyes fell on Lissa who looked stressed and quiet, tacking up Rhea. Nearby, Natalie had her horse, Storm, in crossties talking to Lissa when suddenly Mia appeared looking pissed. Immediately, I drowned out Mason's words and inched closer, slowly to hear what Mia was saying.

"-cut yourself. You're such a freak." Mia said, as I yanked her around and connected my fist with her face, hearing her nose give with a sickening yet satisfying crunch. "God that felt good." I said to Natalie and Lissa with a smile, taking a water bottle Natalie offered and taking a sip before Lissa took the one that Natalie offered her, taking a huge swig and looking agitated.

I opened my mouth to tell her that nothing Mia said was true when Dimitri swept into the room grabbing me by the arm and yanking me back. On the way, I passed Christian whom I called until he looked at me questioningly while Dimitri still lugged me out of the barn. "Go talk to her." I said to him. "Go!" I yelled when he just stood there. Jumping, he suddenly headed towards Lissa.

Dimitri stopped me beside Buria's corral, and he watched us from within it, curiously, relaxing when he saw both of us. It made me wonder who'd been out here to see him earlier until Dimitri caught my attention. "What were you thinking, Rose? You're on probation and you punched a member of the riding team in the face." I shrugged. "You _broke her nose._" Dimitri tried again while I just shrugged once again.

"It was self-defense…sort of." I said unsure how to phrase that.

"No, it wasn't." Dimitri told me exasperated. "She's not brave enough to attack you."

"Whatever, she was harassing Lissa, and since neither her nor Natalie would stand up to Mia, someone had to.

"Rose," Dimitri sighed.

"Comrade, I can't just let her harass my best friend. Liss is nervous enough as it is without Mia helping to psych her out." I retorted softly. "I've protected her since we were little kids, and I'll continue to do it no matter what until I decide she's capable of protecting herself." I said to him.

Dimitri sighed. "Roza, you're going to get yourself in trouble."

I looked him in the eye before smiling slightly. "I've done worse to protect my friends." I told him a second before his lips crashed down on mine. I had no idea where the kiss had come from, but I didn't over think it, just letting myself get caught up in it. I felt it in a way that I hadn't ever felt while being kissed. My hands snaked around Dimitri's neck, my fingers weaving into his hair and pulling him closer, while his arms moved to wrap around my waist doing exactly the same thing. At first, the kiss was sweet and gentle but it quickly turned hungry. Kissing Dimitri was everything I thought it would be, sweet, wonderful, and right. He made me feel like the sexiest person in the world even while I was wearing paint splattered sweatpants and a Grinch tee shirt. It felt more than physical. It felt like the weirdly mesmerizing connection that allowed us both to understand each other so perfectly had suddenly become tangible, making the kiss more real, more passionate, and more amazing than any other I'd ever had.

Then I blacked out.

Yeah, all the sudden, I was immersed in the little bubble that encompassed Dimitri and I, then, suddenly the world spun and blurred before going black. I woke up to see two heads one human and one animal that both looked extremely blurry.

"Rose? Roza? Rose, please, are you okay?" Dimitri asked me sounding worried.

"I-I don't know. I feel…weird." I said, trying to explain how weirdly discombobulated I felt at the moment.

Slowly, my eyes began to focus but the minute I would focus on what I wanted to see, the image blurred again. "Explain," Dimitri said, the toning of his voice telling me he was frowning. As best as I could, I described what I saw and felt. "Roofies." He muttered sounding confused.

"What?"

"I said Roofies. It sounds like the side effects of flunitrazepam, aka Roofies."

"That shit in the Hangover?" I asked while Dimitri laughed weakly.

"Yeah, what did you have to drink today?" Dimitri asked.

"A water bottle that Natalie gave me." I replied. "Why would Natalie Dashkov slip me the date rape drug?" I questioned doubtfully.

"Let's go find out." Dimitri said, helping me to my feet before putting an arm around my waist and helping me up towards the barn, no doubt leaving a very worried Buria behind. Inside the barn, I noticed Christian standing beside Rhea's now empty stall.

"Pyro!" I called out to him. "Have you seen Lissa and Natalie?" I asked.

Christian rolled his eyes at the nickname but nodded. "Yeah, they just went out. I came back to get this for Lissa since she's up first." He said.

"I'll bring it to her, we're heading out there anyway," I said, taking the bottle out of his hand. "Bye!" I called, letting Dimitri walk me out of the door and down the path to the arena. As we walked, I twirled the water bottle around in my hand. Both of us kept silence ignoring the sexual tension as well as the awkwardness that hung in the air. What the hell had happened? Was he upset about it? I didn't know. I couldn't read him, which was a new experience for me since I'd been able to read him fairly well since I'd first met him, but if it was anything like the class five hurricane of emotions blowing around inside me, maybe I was better off not seeing his emotions. I stopped suddenly when I caught a whiff of the bottle. "Dimitri, does this water bottle smell like peanuts to you?" I asked, handing him the bottle.

Dimitri took it and inhaled before nodding. "Yeah," he said, handing it back while I felt my blood run cold. "Why?"

"It's Lissa's and she's incredibly allergic." I said to him worriedly.

We ran as quick as we possibly could in my drugged state. We arrived in time to see Lissa and Rhea heading towards a jump, but one look at her I could see that something wasn't right. Dimitri noticed it too because he left me at the fence before climbing over the fence and into the arena, just in time to catch Lissa fall. My eyes scanned the crowd until I noticed Christian running towards me with something in his hand.

"Thank you," I told him before grabbing the epi-pen out of his hand and running towards where she lay in the arena, barely breathing. Rhea stood nearby like a giant equine guardian angel. Even in my drugged state, I knew how to use and epi-pen and stuck it into her leg before releasing the medicine inside. A moment later she breathed in, opening her eyes. They fell on Rhea and then me, and I could see in their depths that she had forgiven me for telling about her condition. Just then Christian ran into the arena and she grinned. I moved out of their way and watched him lean down to kiss her gently. A real Disney moment.

And I passed out.

Again.

Who didn't see that one coming?

* * *

**Thanks for reading and i hope you like it. Firstly, though, I've never used an epi-pen. Rhea never jumped riderless since horses rarely do that, she refused when Lissa fell off (in case you were wondering). The Roofies and peanut dust will be explained. And no I've never used an epi-pen before so don't kill me. Also, I know Buria means 'storm' in Russian, but when I named Natalie's horse, I hadn't gotten around to naming Buria yet. Okay, thanks for reading. And thank you guy so much for your reviews.**


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